When Words Aren't Needed
by FidgeyTova
Summary: Whether it be the life of a student or Zweilt, there are bound to be hardships, and sometimes, a gesture and a smile is all it takes to heal a friend.


**I've been feeling a little depressed lately, and then this happened. ^_^" I wanted to finish my other humor story but just couldn't do it. Ah well. I'm sure this story is all over the place, certainly not my best, but I hope you enjoy anyway. **

**I don't own Uraboku  
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><p><span>When Words Aren't Needed<span>

Hotsuma leans against the wall of a building, out of breath and out of view of anybody walking by. He has a few scrapes and bruises, but isn't bothered by them. He stares at the ground with a frown on his face and his pride a little hurt. He doesn't have any energy left, not even to stand, and slides down the wall until he is sitting on the ground.

Whenever it was a fight with a duras, he could always carry on after the battle. But fights amongst bullies, such as the one that just took place, are different. Being insulted by a duras was to be expected and easily ignored, but such things are far more hurtful coming from fellow humans.

Hotsuma leans his head back and looks towards the sky, and wishes for just a moment, that he can be weightless and forget all his troubles. He wipes away the last drop of blood from his lip, leaving behind a red smear.

After Yuki's arrival and his acceptance of Shusei's scars, he has become more confident in his ability over God's Voice, but there is always the lingering thought, that maybe one day, he won't be so lucky. His voice is only meant for duras and he couldn't bear to scar anyone else.

"The whole thing is stupid anyway!" Hotsuma said out loud, unable to contain his frustration.

It was a needless fight, as they usually always are. Some classmate runs his mouth and Hotsuma, with his short fuse, can't take anymore. They exchange a few insults and then start to throw punches. Hotsuma lets down his guard just a little to avoid accidentally using God's Voice giving his opponent an opening. Eventually, a teacher breaks it up and they are both sent to the disciplinarian, both covered in bruises. After a lecture, Hotsuma leaves school early and wanders off by himself, which leads to where he is at right now. Alone and hurt.

Any normal person is usually considered weak to Hotsuma. Years and lifetimes of fighting duras have conditioned him well, but brute strength alone isn't enough. It's the fear that if he isn't careful, he could hurt someone else; _burn_ someone else. Without the will-power to contain his emotions, another incident could possibly occur. And Hotsuma would feel tremendously guilty for having marred someone else with his Hellfire.

For Hotsuma, it's a lose- lose situation.

And if all the problems that comes from being Zweilts wasn't enough…

Why must he face criticism from other people? People? The hardest part of all isn't the pain from being physically hurt; it's feeling like an outcast from everyone, particularly at school. Just because he's different from others, he is singled out. So what if he looks or acts different from everyone else? He's still just a person. A person with emotions, like everyone else.

It was always hard for Hotsuma to find acceptance. He remembers looking around the classrooms and seeing how easy it was for some students to find new friends and how simple it is for some people to walk up to others and start a conversation. Those simple things…they terrify Hotsuma.

A sad smile finds its way to Hotsuma's face.

Because no matter what, no matter how hard things got, even when Hotsuma wants to give up…

He always has one person.

One person who never judges him. One person who never criticizes him or mocks him or makes him feel like garbage. The person he can always go to when things get so hard he can't carry on anymore. Hotsuma always has a shoulder to lean on, no matter what.

Shusei was like the light at the end of a dark tunnel. How lucky was Hotsuma to have a friend like that?

But Hotsuma never feels like he's earned a friend like that. _What if one day, Shusei sees that?_ He wonders. _Would he leave?_

Hotsuma looks up, startled by the sound of footsteps that are coming from directly in front of him.

"There you are…"

And there he was. The light at the end of that dark tunnel.

"Shusei…"

Shusei walks towards Hotsuma, scanning him for any injuries that need immediate concern. Not seeing any, Shusei just stands there. Not saying anything.

Hotsuma looks at Shusei, not sure what to say. What needed to be said anyway? How many times have they been in this situation before? Somehow, Shusei always finds him and Hotsuma knows it's without the use of his God's Eyes.

A few silent moments go by. Shusei sighs and sits on the ground next to Hostuma, ready to stay there for as long as necessary.

Minutes go by, and they're still both silent. They each steal glances at one another when they think the other isn't looking.

Hotsuma feels awkward in the silence. He wants to say something, but the right words won't come.

_I'm fine_

…

_Don't worry_

…

_You don't have to be here_

…

…_Thanks_

…

_Thanks for staying by my side, when you deserve so much better. _ That's what Hotsuma wants to say, more than anything. But even saying it won't suffice. The things Hotsuma wants to say most can't be expressed in words. Even so, this silence…

He looks over at Shusei.

It's just him and his partner. Shusei doesn't _have_ to be here, but he is. That means _something_. Something to both Hotsuma and Shusei.

When Shusei feels Hostuma's gaze on him he looks over.

A smile appears on Shusei's face. A real one. Not some fake smile he puts on to please others for the sake of appearances. A real, genuine smile, reserved only for the most important, precious people.

"You got some blood on your face." Shusei said, pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket and putting it to Hotsuma's lip.

Hotsuma flinches from his touch, "You don't need to…You'll ruin the handkerchief!"

Shusei chuckles, "Oh yes, how horrible would that be?" He teases.

Hotsuma takes the handkerchief and holds it to his lip, "Thanks."

"Don't worry. It's only a piece of cloth anyway." Shusei tells him.

Hotsuma smiles. _Not that…_

_Thanks for being here. Thanks…for always being here._

A few more quiet moments pass.

Satisfied with where they're at, Shusei gets up and wipes the dirt from his uniform. He throws his backpack over his shoulder and turns around, looking down at Hotsuma. Shusei extends a hand to his friend.

Hotsuma stares at his outstretched hand and smiles again. He grabs Shusei's hand and lets out a small groan when Shusei pulls him up.

"Ah…shit…" Hotsuma mumbles, rubbing his bruised shoulder.

"Come on, Hotsuma. Let's go home." Shusei says, waiting for Hotsuma, smile still in place.

Even without saying it out loud, Hostuma thinks Shusei knows.

Knows how grateful he is to have someone like him in his life.

"Yeah…"

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><p><strong>I'm not sure if writing this made me feel better or worse, haha…. I know a review would make me happy! :) <strong>

**I mistakenly left this in progress instead of complete, but now that i think about it, I may want to write this from Shusei's POV...  
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